A prior art patent in the general field is U.S. Pat. No. 7,932,469 to Shelton et al. Reference may be made to this patent in connection with a general background discussion pertaining to direct-buried cables and the use of a tracer cable for the reliable detection of the placement and location of direct-buried cables as well as the placement and location of other utility delivery cables. The entirety of U.S. Pat. No. 7,932,469, owned by the assignees of the present invention, is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. The product described in the '469 patent is somewhat complicated to produce and, accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved tracer wire product that can be manufactured relatively easily and economically.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a tracer wire product that has superior strength, that is resistant to impact or other forces, and that is constructed to provide very precise dimensional control, preferably at +1-3%.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an improved tracer wire product that has wide applicability in connection with the detection and the location of underground cables, pipes and other lines.